Ataris spread SoCal sound

By Nate Seltenrich

The Ataris will become the second major punk band to pound the Leavey Center stage in as many quarters when they perform at Santa Clara on Sunday, Nov. 2. Sum 41's show last spring brought out the mesh hats and Converse All-Stars in all of us, and the Ataris expect no less of a reception. After all, they've been here before â€" at a time when punk didn't quite enjoy mainstream acceptance and when many of us were still listening to alt-rock and gangsta-rap in junior high.

Currently traversing the country on the Volkswagen Music Ed. Tour, which has made stops at universities across the country, the Ataris are supporting their latest CD, "So Long, Astoria." The Santa Barbara foursome's fourth full-length album was released in March of 2003 on Columbia Records and includes the hit Don Henley cover "Boys of Summer." In a phone interview from Boulder, Colorado, bassist Mike Davenport had more to say about the band's ties to Santa Clara, experiences with cover songs, and thoughts about the current tour. He even shared his opinion of California's new governor.

TSC: What do you know about Santa Clara University?

Davenport: You know what's really weird about Santa Clara is that we started the band seven years ago on November 2 and Santa Clara was on our first tour, which was about two weeks later. We played with Dance Hall Crashers and Unwritten Law â€" seven years ago, way before any generation of college student that's there now. That was about our fifth show, ever. So we're kinda excited about that, and we're having a big party after the Santa Clara show. It's a big show for us.

TSC: As a California native, what's your opinion of the recent election of Arnold Schwarzenegger?

Davenport: I'm appalled by that. I think it was done more just because he was a movie star and this is California. I'm a Californian and I'm proud of it, especially going around the rest of the world and seeing the way everything is â€" I love my home. But I think what we did as a state was basically a cliche. It was based on celebrity and there was no substance at all, whatsoever. So I'm pretty bummed out. I'm actually gonna go test out New York for a month in January. When I get back from the rest of my touring, I might actually move there for a while.

TSC: Do you identify more with Northern or Southern California?

Davenport: Southern California. My drummer identifies with Northern California, so we constantly have that struggle too. My theory is that we're such a different place; we should secede from the rest of the country. We'll annex Hawaii. We'll make a three-part country â€" Northern and Southern California and then Hawaii. That's my radical theory.

TSC: What part of the country has been the most hospitable to the band?

Davenport: People really underestimate cities like Albuquerque and El Paso. Those are really cool â€" the Southwest and the Midwest. As a Californian, I was always an elitist, but then after seven years in the band, I just acquired a taste for everywhere. It's like â€" yeah, I can see why people might want to live here. But I really like the Southwest flavor. Being a southern Californian, it appeals to my sensibilities.

TSC: On your current tour, what kinds of venues will you be playing?

Davenport: This tour's weird. We call the VW tour the Venue Weird tour. We'll be playing a lecture hall, we'll be playing in a quad on a stage they built outside. Then they put us in clubs that they rent from the city. It's college campuses, but sometimes they rent a club. That's the weird thing about this tour â€" the venues. They're putting us in the colleges so we can relate to different kids â€" a lot of college kids don't have money to do anything except what the school provides. It's cool, and we're overcoming some weird venue obstacles.

TSC: Do you remember the first cover song the Ataris ever did?

Davenport: The first cover song we ever did we still do to this day and that's "Boxcar" by Jawbreaker. It's on our first record and it's the only other song that we ever covered besides "Boys of Summer" that we put on one of our records. That's what's really going out on a limb. It's one thing to cover songs â€" and over the years we've done a ton. We've done Skid Row, Motley Crue, the Cure, Smoking Popes, Weezer, Nirvana â€" and that doesn't matter as much. Putting it on a record is when you really take that to the next level because then it kind of makes it your own.

TSC: What is the Ataris' message?

Davenport: The message that we try to repeat, album to album, whether we're writing about girls or our past or whatever, is being true to yourself and being happy every day. No one wants to be unhappy in life. You never know how long life's gonna last or what's gonna happen. I've seen too many people die young, and their dreams ended in a day. So I just think be true to yourself and be the best person you can be. It sounds cheesy, but in this world, I don't see what other message you can give people.

Tickets available online at www.santaclarabroncos.com.

Contact Nate Seltenrich at (408) 554-4852 or nseltenrich@scu.edu.